Not Long Enough
by Smile.Freely
Summary: My take on Calleigh and Eric's 'chat' after In The Wind, just in case there weren't enough of them for us to read!


_Hey everyone, here's my take on "the talk" after In The Wind. I hope you enjoy it! Please Review!_

Calleigh sat on her couch, waiting. They had agreed to have this talk after his work out, and now she was expecting him any minute. She'd headed home and changed out of her nice clothing into an old pair of jeans and one of his warn out t-shirts. She glanced down at her chest; "Dive Master" it read. She smiled at it to herself, content with the smell of him around her.

When Eric finally arrived, the sight of her in his shirt made him smile as well, "I've been looking for that," he stated half heartedly, gesturing to the shirt she wore. Calleigh simply smiled in return, it was hers now.

"You thirsty?" She asked him. Eric nodded his agreement before following her to the kitchen. He watched her as she dug through the fridge and emerged with two long neck bottles. He couldn't help but smile at her, she was a wonder. The flowing blonde hair, the sparkling green eyes and the high heels gave no inclination to her love of cold beer and guns. "What?" she asked handing him the now open bottle.

"Nothing," he mumbled, following her out the back of her house to the patio. They sat down in her lawn furniture in silence before he spoke. "You wanted to talk," Eric hinted, watching her squirm just a little.

"Yeah," She whispered before drawing a long drink of the cool amber liquid. "I know we keep saying that we can't keep…" she drifted off, not wanting to say the words out loud.

"Having sex," he offered with a crooked smile. Calleigh laughed uncomfortably in response.

"Yeah," she responded, picking at the label to the bottle.

"But we keep doin' it anyway," he offered.

"Yeah," she repeated.

"Calleigh, whatever you need to say, just say it, this is me you're talking to," he offered, his brown eyes searching his face. He watched as she fought a silent battle between her heart and her brain.

"I don't want to stop," she rushed a moment, her eyes searching Eric's for a response.

"Neither do I," he whispered, glad she was finally saying what she needed to.

"But I'm afraid that this means more to me than it does to you," she whispered, cocking her head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't just sex to me Eric," she whispered.

"What is it to you Calleigh?" He asked, his heart willing her to say the words. When she remained silent, Eric felt his heart drop. If only she would let down her guard long enough for him to prove to her he wasn't like the other men she'd been with, he would never break her heart.

Calleigh battled with herself longer than necessary, Eric unwilling to forge the silence between them. She wanted to say the words so badly, but for fear of ruining things she remained silent. Glancing up she looked into his eyes, and remembered who she was talking to. This was Eric, her partner, her best friend, her lover. There was nobody in the world she trusted more.

"I'm in love with you," she stated, her voice more confident than she felt. She fought to keep her eyes on his, despite the desire to run and hide. A small smile crept across his face, until he was beaming at her.

"Calleigh, I'm in love with you too," He stated, his voice filled with laughter. Calleigh bowed her head, finding her fingers more interesting at the moment, blush creeping onto her cheeks. Eric slowly stood and made his way over to her, so that he was kneeling between her knees. "I love you Cal," he repeated, "nothing will change that."

"I didn't know you felt that way," she whispered, finally bringing her eyes to meet his. Glancing into his eyes though something was different, they showed nothing but love and understanding. It was a new look she'd never seen before, not when he was with Natalia or any other women. Only with her.

"What does this mean for us?"Eric whispered, still crouched between her knees.

"That I'm yours," she offered with a sheepish smile.

"For how long?" He asked, his chocolate brown eyes dancing.

"As long as you want me," she responded, her smile matching his now.

"Forever," He whispered before bring his lips to meet hers in a soft kiss.

"Forever is a very long time," she stated simply.

"Not long enough if you ask me," he mumbled bring his lips to meet hers once more.


End file.
